This year marks half a decade since the first notified case of Covid-19 in Australia. The first confirmed case was announced on January 25th 2020.
From then, case numbers surged leading to lockdowns in Australia and worldwide. Here in Adelaide, the first case was announced on February 2nd 2020.
It was in March when things began to truly change as the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. In South Australia, a public health emergency was declared on March 15th and two weeks later on the 22nd self-isolation restrictions came into place.

A popular activity done during lockdowns and self-isolation periods was to watch the daily press conference, opened by then premier Steven Marshall followed by Police Commission Grant Stevens and most notably Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier. As a result of the daily broadcasting and Spurriers calm yet direct demeanour, she gained the publics affection.


The role of medical staff began to receive the recognition it had long deserved, becoming more crucial than ever. One of their essential responsibilities was, and still is, maintaining close contact with those infected by the virus. This work often took place in hospitals, COVID-19 testing sites, and clinics, where staff donned multiple layers of personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure safety for themselves and their patients.



As of current, there has been 1,000,300 Covid-19 cases in South Australia. Majority of these cases only required at home rest, but some cases had to be hospitalised. The Queen Elizabeth, like many other hospitals around the state were equipped with isolation rooms for positive cases.


November 2021 was a turning point for the pandemic in South Australia with the boarders reopening. This marked the accomplishment of reaching the benchmark of having 80% of the state vaccinated.


As of 20 October 2023, Covid-19 is no longer a communicable disease incident or of national significance. The focus has shifted towards managing the virus through prevention, reducing transmission and the management of series illness.
Written by Anna Grigoriev, CALHN Health Museum